


For The Love of Tranquility

by Cassandra_Pentaghast



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Inquisitor Backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 06:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4776689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassandra_Pentaghast/pseuds/Cassandra_Pentaghast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prologue explanation of Evelyn Trevelyan's backstory. It begins when she's 12 years old and leads up to going to the Conclave and the start of the Inquisition. The second part is a peek into her relationship with Cullen Rutherford during the Inquisition. The third part is a conclusion after the events of the Epilogue Trespasser DLC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For The Love of Tranquility

Prologue: Lady Evelyn Trevelyan’s Backstory

At twelve years old Lady Evelyn Trevelyan discovered her magical abilities. She was playing with her twin sister, Anne as they invariably did on a daily basis. As per usual, Anne began to taunt Evelyn as she always had. But when Evelyn got angry this time, a shard of ice shot from her hand. Before she had time to realize what was happening, the shard pierced her sister’s body. More ice shards followed until her sister lay motionless.

Devastated, Evelyn ran to her sister and held her, crying, desperately trying to wake her. Evelyn’s sobs and cries could be heard across the courtyard of their estate in the Free Marches of Thedas. First, the servants came running. Then her parents.

There was much commotion and Evelyn was pulled forcefully from her sister. Evelyn’s cries and screams can still sometimes be heard by those that walk through the courtyard that were there that day.  
Anger and bitterness filled her parent’s hearts. She was sent away the very next day. Her family abandoned her to a life in the circle. They did not write and they did not visit. Forgiveness was never to be given to Evelyn for what she had done.

Evelyn hated herself and hated her magic. Nightmares plagued her sleep. Her despair worsened over the years. Evelyn relived killing her sister every night.

When she was sixteen she could be found with her nose in a book. Always studying to prevent harm. Studying to heal. Studying to save lives. Studying to keep herself from slumber.

Lydia, Senior Enchanter of the circle at Ostwick took Evelyn under her wing as soon as Evelyn arrived to the circle at twelve years old. Lydia felt compassion for Evelyn who had killed her very own twin. She knew it was unintended and she hoped she could help Evelyn heal and gain a more self-assured sense of self while at the circle. Lydia’s hopes for Evelyn didn’t work out as she intended.  
The more Lydia tried to love Evelyn, the more Evelyn pulled back. Evelyn lashed out and had uncontrolled outbursts of magic which further fueled her self-hatred. Lydia despaired of ever helping Evelyn, but she loved her nonetheless and kept trying.

Over the years Lydia became Evelyn’s mentor and friend. Whenever Evelyn had a question of true importance, it was Lydia who Evelyn trusted. Every life milestone was shared with Lydia. The Senior Enchanter of the circle of magi in Ostwick had become Evelyn’s refuge.

More years passed and Evelyn completed the harrowing and graduated from mage apprenticeship. Having grown into a fine young woman, Lydia knew she could trust Evelyn with delicate matters because of their close relationship and because of Evelyn’s raw knowledge of what unconfined magic can do. Lydia could and did trust Evelyn with much because she knew Evelyn’s fear of magic kept her in control more than any outside influence or leash ever could.

Evelyn never recovered from the death of her twin, Anne. Who could? Evelyn got the idea that tranquility could be her way out from the pain, the anguish, the fear and regret. Not only could being made tranquil protect everyone else from her, she was a mage after all and in her mind, no better than a beast that should be caged. 

She was a loyalist and disagreed with all the mages backbiting talk and scheming. The mage rebellion that had been brewing for so long was a thorn in her side she had wanted to pluck it out and burn it with fire.

She wished everyone would just be kind and protective of each other, love one another. There was a part of her, deep in the core of her being that wished she were her sister. Evelyn wished she was dead. Wished she could take her sisters place. But then the guilt came. She realized that if she were dead, it would have made her sister the mage. NO! She would not wish being a mage on her worst enemy let alone her twin sister who she adored and loved with all her heart. 

Lydia knew more than anyone the torment for which Evelyn suffered. She agreed to help Evelyn go through the right of tranquility. Lydia sought permission from the First Enchanter on Evelyn’s behalf. Lydia did not agree that it was the right thing to do, but she loved Evelyn and she wanted Evelyn to find peace and rest. That is why Lydia agreed to such a loathed and permanent solution.

Some would say the stars could not have been more misaligned than they were the day of Evelyn’s rite of tranquility ceremony. And then, there are some that would tell you the stars were aligned perfectly.

Evelyn’s rite was scheduled on the very day the mages raised all of the fade upon the circle of magi in Ostwick. While Lydia, and the others, trusted with performing Evelyn’s rite were in the middle of the ceremony, the rebel mages burst into the room believing they were rescuing Evelyn from a fate worse than death. 

To Evelyn’s horror they killed Lydia and the others right in front of her. “Come on Evelyn, you can leave now! You’re free! We won’t let any of them hurt you ever again!” Said Magnus her childhood classmate whom she got along with well enough, but, of course, they didn’t see eye to eye on everything. Especially not this. Not killing Lydia. Not raising the fade to overtake the circle. This was wrong in Evelyn’s mind and it shouldn’t have happened, but how could she have stopped it? “Magnus!” Evelyn screamed.

Shocked, stunned, and bewildered, Evelyn found herself running through the halls of the Ostwick Circle of Magi with Magnus. Evelyn realized the Templars were equally ready to kill her as they were Magnus and the others. Didn’t they realize Evelyn was not a rebel? No. They did not. This was all out war and she was on the battlefield whether she liked it or not. Using her magic as little as possible just to stay alive, Evelyn scarcely made it out into a quasi-freedom amidst war and turmoil she wished wasn’t happening. 

Days passed and they turned into weeks. Evelyn heard about the conclave being held in Ferelden. Getting herself to the conclave, ready to beg on her knees if necessary for everyone to stop fighting in the name of all that is holy and good. Evelyn found herself in the midst of a brand new calamity sparked by her own actions.

A Conversation With Cullen on the Battlements

Cullen had been in awe of the inquisitor since the day he met her on the battlefield. He had wanted to kiss her, touch her, truly know her. He didn’t think it was possible, not with her being the inquisitor and all that was going on. It seemed too much to ask, but he wanted to.  
“Cullen?”  
“Yes, Evelyn?”  
Bravely, with panic in her stomach Evelyn asked Cullen “Could you?”  
“What?”  
“Could you care for me, Cullen? A mage?”  
“Evelyn, I never told anyone what truly happened to me at Ferelden Circle. I was, not myself after that. I was angry. For years, that anger blinded me. I’m not proud of the man that made me. The way I saw mages. I’m sure I would have cared about you. The thought of that sickens me. Now I can put some distance between myself and everything that has happened. It’s a start.”  
Evelyn answered “For what it’s worth, I like who you are now.”  
“Even After?”  
“Cullen, I care about you. You’ve done nothing to change that.”  
“What about you? You have troubles of your own. How are you holding up?”  
“Honestly, I’m terrified. So many people depend on us…On me, Corypheus is still out there.”  
“If there’s anything I can do, you have only to ask.”  
“Well, there is something.”  
“Name it.”  
“I need to tell you about my sister…”  
Cullen fell madly in love with Evelyn that day. What she saw in herself as a wild animal needing to be caged, he saw as a beautiful woman with a compassionate heart and a bravery that surpassed all of his soldiers combined. He would never leave her side and he would be damned if he would allow anything or anyone to hurt her. 

Ending after Trespasser:  
No one would ever see the young 12 year old carefree smile again. Evelyn would smile of course, but her smile carried with it all that she had been through. She had become a woman, a wife, and now here forward, the people would only see a smile that covered experiences and memories held only by her and her closest companions. Evelyn wondered at the expression on Cullen’s face. It was almost as if he were asking permission to be happy-- at least just for that moment? Yes. He thought. Evelyn was alive. She was safe.


End file.
